


Hotels fucking suck

by Em_nerdyfangirl



Category: Septiplier - Fandom, jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Agonizingly slow burn, Because I'm an arsehole, DEAL WITH IT, Dan and Phil cameos, Fluff, Jack gets stranded in LA, M/M, Slow Burn, VidCon, mostly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-23
Updated: 2017-02-07
Packaged: 2018-08-16 22:25:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 12,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8119840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Em_nerdyfangirl/pseuds/Em_nerdyfangirl
Summary: The one where Jack's in LA for vidcon but his hotel royally fucks up and he's left with no where to go for the night.Good thing Mark lives nearby since hotels fucking suck.





	1. One

"Are you kidding me?!" Jack exclaimed as he stared at the hotel manager and the rich person standing nect to her, "Ya can"t jus' kick me out ma room! I paid for 10 days, you can't tell me I have ta leave after three!" He continued, Irish accent coming out thicker in his anger.  
"Unfortunately, Sir, we have no choice. Your room was double booked and this gentleman booked first so he has priority."  
"Well what am I gonna do? Have you got any other rooms?" Jack sighed, annoyed that he had to deal with this at 1am, especially when he had a panel the next day.

Jack was in LA for VidCon and his hotel had royally fucked up and was trying to kick him out.  
"We dont sir, sorry. We are able to offer you a full refund, however, which will be in your bank account tomorrow." The woman continued.  
"Great. Got anywhere I can go in the meantime?" Jack asked, giving in to the inevitable.  
"There is another hotel two blocks west, you can try them." She offered. Jack nodded tiredly.  
"I guess I'll go pack then." He turned and headed up to what was no longer his room, grumbling as he packed his things into the small suitcase. He shoved his hand luggage back into his backpack and swung it over his shoulder, doing a sweep of the room to ensure that he hadn't left anything. He then left the hotel and walked on the direction the lady had indicated. After five minutes of walking in the rain, dragging his suitcase behind him, Jack was greeted by a neon sign for the shittiest motel he had ever seen. He was so tired he would have dealt with it but the sign was flashing a merry 'no vacancies' at him.  
"Just fookin' great." Jack huffed.

He checked his phone to see that it was nearing 1:30am. On the screen was a text from Mark showing his address. Jack was apparently not too far away and was supposed to meet him in the morning before going to the con.  
"Ah fuck it. Im sure he wont mind me crashing on his couch for one night." Jack muttered and pulled up google maps, heading in the direction of Mark's home.

\---

Mark was woken at 1:30 in the morning by Chica whining at hid bedside.  
"I thought you were toilet trained by now Chica" he groaned, catching site of the clock on his sidetable as he dragged himself up. Chica just whined again and headed down the hall. Mark stumbled after her and as he got nearer the front door he realised the real reason Chica had come to get him. There was someone knocking quietly but determindly on the front door. Confused, Mark approached the door and pulled it open to find a highly dejected looking Jack with his green hair messdd up and falling over his forehead.  
"Jack." Mark said in surprise.  
"Hi Mark. Dont s'pose I could crash on your couch for tha night? My hotel fooked up and double booked my room and long story short I was kicked out." Jack explained, Irish accent coming through thick in annoyance and tiredness.  
"Uh yeah sure" Mark stepped aside to let his friend in and it was then that he remembered he was wearing nothing but his boxers. What? It was hot. Jack didnt seem bothered, he just trailed in and headed down the hall to where he knew the front room was. Mark bemusedly followed, watching as Jack dumped his stuff on the floor and pulled off his jeans so he could be comfortable. Mark pulled some blankets out of the cupboard and left him too it.  
"Thanks Mark." Jack called as the red head walked back to his own room.  
Sleep now. Proper explanations later.


	2. Two

Mark woke up to the delicious smell of pancakes filling the whole house with warm happiness. He groaned and pulled himself from the mess of blankets, keeping one wrapped around him to ward off the cold as he went to investigate. In the kitchen, still in only his t-shirt and boxers, was Jack. He was flitting about cooking pancakes and rescueing the syrup from the depths of he cupboard. There was also coffee brewing and Mark went to get a cup before even bothering speaking.  
"Mornin'. Thanks again for letting me crash here last night." The Irishman greeted him, handing over a plate with a small stack of pancakes. Mark grinned over his mug.

"Morning." The American took a large bite of syrupy deliciousness and groaned around the mouthfull.  
"Mmm if you're gonna cook like that you can stay here forever." He informed Jack, only half joking.  
"You'd get sick of pancakes after a while. Trust me." Jack grinned. Then he sighed.  
"We have two hours till the panel and I need to sort out a hotel for the rest of my stay." He explained as he stood and headed to his stuff to dig out his phone.  
"You.. could always stay here?" Mark suggested, "I mean. It would save you money on a hotel and it would be easier for travel to the panels and stuff. I dunno. If you'd like of course." He mumbled, determindley looking at his breakfast instead of his friend. That, unfortunately, meant he couldnt see the shit-eating grin Jack had spread across his face.  
"I dunno, Mark. Your couch is pretty uncomfortable." He said, as if he was actually considering it.  
"Oh. Uh okay nevermind then sorry..." Mark mumbled, finally looking up when Jack started to laugh.  
"Im kidding. I'd love to stay here - so long as Im not intruding." He grinned, subtly making sure it wouldnt be an issue.  
"Not at all. Oh! I can't believe I forgot! We actually have a spare room now so you can stay in there instead of on the couch."  
"Are you kidding me? Coulda told me that last night doofus." Jack laughed, carrying his plate to the sink to wash up.

It was at this point that a sleepy Ryan and Matt made their appearance.  
"Whats with the noise?" Matt grumbled but trailed off when he saw Jack.  
"Hi Jack. You're here early." Ryan greeted, stealing Mark's last pancake.  
"Hey!" Mark protested.  
"Yeah. I crashed on the couch 'cause my hotel fucked up." Jack replied.  
"He's gonna stay in the spare room for the rest of his visit if thats cool with you guys?" Mark interjected, washig up his own plate.  
"Fine with me." Matt shrugged.  
"Dont keep me up and I'm cool with it."  
"I'll try ma best" Jack laughed.  
"Oh but, uh.. if anyone asks can you say you're staying on the couch?" Ryan asked, suddenly looking a bit uncomfortable.  
"Uh, sure why?" Jack agreed, confusedly looking between the two boys as Mark went off to shower. Jack couldn't help but feel like he was giving them some privacy.  
"Well.. most of the fanbase know our house has only three rooms..." Matt began, trailing off and smiling gently at Ryan.  
"Ohhkayyy...." Jack was still confused, then, "Oh! Ohhhh okay yeah thats cool." He grinned. Matt and Ryan smiled back then stood.  
"We'd best get ready. We only have an hour before we leave." Ryan said, wandering off down the hall.  
"I'll help get your stuff in the spare room." Matt offered, leading the way. Jack smiled again and followed into what used to be Ryan's room - the smallest bedroom in the house. Once alone, he started getting ready for the first panel, a collection of gamerd panel which he'd been invited to. Today was gonna be a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> B.T.Dubbs guys I have no idea on the layout of their place so dont take any of my descriptions at face value.
> 
> Also sorry but I just had to add some Ryatt in there. Thanks random tumblr person for introducing me to that ship. Thanks sooooo much.


	3. Three

The panels were great. A whirlwind of questions and emotions and fans later and the the guys were all back at the house getting ready for dinner. It was going to be a huge thing with loads of different youtubers from around the world. The whole thing had apparently been organised and an entire room was booked out, meal options were chosen in advance and everyone was chatting or vlogging or catching up or making new friends. The dress was smart casual and Mark was sat staring at his wardrobe, unable to choose what to wear.  
"Merk? You almost ready? We have ten minutes." Came Jack's voice through the door.  
"Uh.. yeah just chosing what to wear." Mark called back.  
"Do you want a hand chosing?" Jack asked. Mark hesitated, he was only wearing his boxers, would that be inappropriate? Then he scoffed. He wandered around the house in boxers all the time, in front of Matt and Ryan and, when they were round, Bob and Wade too. Why would Jack be any different?  
"Uh. Yes please." He called and went to open the door. Jack smiled up at him, seemingly purposefully not looking at Marks body. Or perhaps Mark was just reading too far into it. Wait. Why was Mark reading too far into it?

"So what options have you got?" Jack asked, wandering over to peer at the mess of a wardrobe that was still open.  
"Sorry. Normally its a bit more organised, I just. Sorry." Mark trailed off. Jack grinned at him.  
"Cat got your tounge? Dont worry, my wardrobe is far messier. What about these jeans," Jack pulled out a pair of smart black skinny jeans, "and this shirt." He put a red plaid shirt next to it.  
"Or, if you want more smartness." He held up a plain blue dress shirt.  
"Smart casual, right?" Mark grinned and went for the plaid shirt. He slipped into the jeans and it wasnt until he was doingup his shirt buttons that Jack looked at him head on. The irishman grinned brightly.  
"S'nice. Matches your hair."  
"Thank you." Mark said sincerely, blushing a light pink. Then he wandered why he was blushing.  
"Ready? Lets go!" Jack yelled, doing the superman pose out the door and down the hall. Mark grinned and grabbed his phone and portable camera - he was planning on filming tonight for memories more than a blog - and followed at a more sensible pace.

\---

The big dinner was, funnily enough, being hosted at a restaurant partnered with the hotel Jack was supposed to be staying at. Jack didnt find this out until they were signing in (only way to keep track on if someone was late or unable to make it) and an employee pulled him aside.  
"Mr McLoughlin?" The elder gentleman asked.  
"Uh.. yes?"  
"The Hotel Une Fleur wished to apologise for the unfortunate circumstances last night. We also wished to inform you that a room has become available, should you wish to take it." He offered, an expression of 'why do I have to deal with this surely someone else can' plaon on his face, barely hidden by his polite smile.  
"No thank you. I have already made other arrangements. I would, however, appreciate my money back." Jack replied with a similar polite smile.  
"Jack!" Mark yelled from where he was stood with Felix and Marzia.  
"Coming! Jack yelled back then turned back to the man, "sorry I have to go." And without another word he walked away to rejoin his friends.

"Jack! My main bro!" Felix greeted him with a hug.  
"Hey!" The rest of their friends yelled in indignition.  
"You all know its true!" Jack yelled back.  
"Shall we sit?" Mark laughed and the group wandered off to find their table. The table consisted of Jack, Mark, Matt, Ryan, Bob, Wade and Felix as well as all respective partners. The next table on their left had Team Edge and partners as well as some other people. The table on their right had some British youtubers including Dan and Phil and a curly haired guy. There was also a loud girl Jack recognised as Louise who was talking animatedly with Dan.  
"There is a lot of people here!" Jack said to Mark, excited to see so many other youtubers in one place.  
"Yeah. Vidcon is huge this year. Thats why pretty much no one is getting individual panels and why the meet and greets are so crazy." Mark explained.  
"You mean more so than usual?" Jack grinned back.  
"Its also why the con is lasting a week longer. They wanted aa many people as possible to be able to do stuff." Felix leant across Marzia to join the conversation.  
"Yeah I heard about that. I guess it just didnt affect the stuff Im doing." Jack shrugged.

"If I could have everyones attention please?" An easily recognisable voice echoed through the speakers next to the stage. The room gradually fell to a hush as everyone payed attention to Tyler Oakley who was grinning at them all from the stage.  
"Thanks. As you all know, we are here to eat." Everyone cheered. "But I thought we could play a little game first?" Another cheer.  
"Okay. This game was invented by one of our own. You may know him as the guy with the hair but I know him as Amazing Phil!" Tyler roared into the mic, full announcer voice on. Everyone was shouting and laughing and having fun. Jack could see Phil blushing and Dan grinning a proud 100KW smile at his best friend. Tyler waited for the din to quieten a bit before continuing.  
"So we are gonna be playing the seven second challenge!"  
This was going to be good.


	4. Four

"Okay. Here's how this is going to work. I have this awesome screen thing behind me and it has the app loaded." Said screen flickered to life, showing the title screen of the 7SC app.  
"I have a name generator on my phone," Tyler held up his phone with a grin. "Which has everyone's names who is currently in this room. I get a name, call it out, the challenge is set and you have seven seconds to complete it. If it's unclear if it was a win or not, Phil decides since he made the game and all." Phil once again blushed. Everyone settled down in anticipation, the vloggers holding their cameras at the ready.  
"So! Our first victim-uhhhh contestant is... Matthias!" Everyone cheered as Matthias stood up and walked to the stage. He pressed the remote to bring up the challenge and waited as it loaded.  
"Stand on one foot for seven seconds." He read, smiling.  
"Three! Two! One! Go!" Everyone counted down as Matt stood on one foot. He wobbled at 5 seconds and put his foot on the floor at 3.  
"You failed!" Tyler called, pressing the appropriate button on the app on the screen.  
"The next contestant is... Joey Graceffa!" Tyler yelled. Joey bounced up to the stage and pressed the remote to get his challenge.  
"Make the word 'cat' with your body." Joey read and, to everyone's surprise, simply spelt the word 'cat' in sign language.

"Okay. That was a win." Tyler clicked the win button then held up his phone again.  
"Next up, Felix!" Felix ran up to the stage excitedly.  
"Alright! Alright! Alright!" He took the remote and read off his challenge.  
"What sound would you make if you were a clock?" Felix looked confused for a second as everyone began counting down.  
"Uh tick tock? Oh an alarm! Bring bring wake the fuck up!" He said in a robot voice. Everyone laughed.  
"You win!" Tyler grinned then shoved him away from the stage playfully so he could get the next person up. Marzia leant across to Mark and Jack.  
"That's how he got me up once."  
"Once?" Mark laughed.  
"Yeah. Once." Marzia said darkly then grinned and paid attention again. Jack had missed the name called but Zoella was making her way up to the stage.  
"Say hello in as many languages as possible. Okay. Uh, hello, hola, bonjour, kon'nichiwa, umm caio, oh no. Salve."  
"Time!" Tyler shouted. "What was that last one?" He asked.  
"Um. Latin I think."  
Casper held up his phone and yelled "Its right!" Tyler looked unsure.  
"Phil! Can we count that as it's a dead language?" He asked. Phil considered it.  
"Im impressed she knows that so yeah. Thats a win." He decided. Tyler shrugged and pressed the button. Zoe cheered and detoured on her way to her seat to give Phil a kiss on the cheek. Jack noticed Dan glower at her for a full two seconds before Phil turned to smile at him.

\---

"Next up is..... Dan! Danisnotonfire get your backside up here!" Tyler yelled at Dan as he shook his head. Dan shrugged and went up on stage.  
"So I have to.. name five names that begin with the letter 'D'."  
He looked thoughtful and everyone started counting down which made him panic.  
"Oh uh David. D- Danielle. Denise. Uh... Dick. Um. Uhh. I dont know!"  
"Times up! Tyler laughed. "Um Dan?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Your name starts with 'D'. How did you not say your own name?"  
Dan looked sheepish.  
"I, uh, forgot?" It sounded like a question.  
"Fail!" Phil yelled from their table.  
"Oi! You're meant to be on my side!" Dan called to him.  
"Since when?" Phil laughed.  
"Ugh. Worst best friend ever. Best friend up for sale. Who wants him? Tall, black haired. Steals your cereal." Dan called to the room at large. He was shooed off the stage by Tyler.  
"Okay! According to the little voice in my ear," he gestured to the microphone/headset hooked over his right ear, "we have time for one more before food arrives. So. Our last contestant is... Markiplier!" Mark cheered and handed his camera off to Bob before running up to the stage.  
"Yes! I have to.. kiss something that is green." Mark looked around desperately. There was nothing close enough that was green. Except..  
Mark practically jumped off the stage and sprinted over to his seat. Jack was looking at him confusedly until Mark leant over and kissed his hair. Then he scowled and shoced him away. Mark zoned out of 'ohmygods his hair smells so nice' and back into 'wait, did I win?' He decided to put the first thought away for now. Tyler and everyone was laughing at Jack's put-out expression and Marks goofy grin.  
"Did I win?" Mark asked.  
"Phil?" Tyler managed to get out through his laughter.  
"Yeah you won." Phil decided. Mark whooped and punched the air.  
"Okay! Time for food!" Tyler yelled then turned off and put away his mic before going to rejoin his table. Waiters started to bring out plates of food and the general chatter of a room of dining people began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> I just wanted to say thanks for all the kudos I'm getting on this story. I also wanted to mention that I'm writing this on my phone as and when I get a chance which is why the update times are all over the place. It's also the excuse I am using for the probable spelling mistakes.  
> Thanks so much for reading!  
> Em


	5. Five

After a whole lot of food and a massive party in the back garden of the restaurant; Jack, Mark, Ryan and Matt headed back to the house. They were only slightly drunk. Well. Mark wasnt. His whole alcohol allergy thing meant that he was the designated driver. It kinda sucked that he couldnt get drunk with his friends but at least he wasnt the only one. At least a quarter of the party members had panels or meet-and-greets in the morning and couldnt risk the hangover. Marks friends, luckily, had nothing going on the next day so they could all drink and be merry to their hearts content. Mark was pretty sure Jack and Felix had been in a contest of who can do the most shots. Jack lost. He did two and Felix three. Dan and Phil had at some point joined Mark as they weren't drinking much either. He had spent a good hour chatting with them and getting to know the Brits. Then Phil accidently knocked a glass of cocktail over Dan and they had to go clean up. As they went Mark heard Dan trying to sell 'a best friend' again. His new sales pitch was extreme klutziness.

Mark pulled into the drive and unlocked the car doors (Matt had tried to open his door while they were driving). Ryan and Matt stumbled out and followed behind as Mark went to open the door. He then stepped aside and allowed them to wobble their way to their room, pretending they weren't holding each other up. There was a quiet 'oof' from behind him. He turned around to see Jack sitting on the floor by the car, giggling.  
"I fell." Jack grinned at Mark brightly. Mark smiled down at him.  
"You did. Need a hand getting up?"  
"Nooo I'll do it." The irishman managed to get his feet under him before collapsing. Luckily, Mark had predicted this and was close enough to catch him.  
"It's like tha' game. Tha' drunk game where the guy wont fucking walk straight." Jack sounded torn between raging and laughing so Mark decided to distract him. They'd managed to reach the front door and were heading down the hall so Mark could dump Jack in the guest bedroom.  
"Hey Markimoo?" Jack asked.  
"Yeah Jackaboy?"  
"Why'd the music stop? Weren't we dancing?" Jack asked, confusedly looking around.  
"That was an hour ago Jack. We're back home now." Mark replied patiently.  
"Mark?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Why are you in Ireland? Am I dreaming again?"  
"I'm not. You are in LA. I meant my home not yours. And again?"  
"Hmm?"  
"You said dreaming again. Have you dreamt about me visiting you in Ireland?" Mark opened the door to the guest bedroom and saw Jack's suitcase was open on the bed. He sat the smaller man next to it and then moved it to the floor. When he turned back to Jack, Jack had his shirt off and was struggling with the laces on his shoes.

Mark tried not to look at Jack's chest as he knelt down to help his friend. Then he wandered why he was worried. Its not like he hadn't seen Jack shirtless before. Mark pulled his shoes off and put them next to the suitcase before pushing Jack back to lie down. Jack started undoing his jeans but got stuck with getting them down his thighs. Mark sighed as Jack looked at him with puppy dog eyes. A silent plea for help.  
"You owe me." He told the Irishman before taking hold of the material of Jacks skinny jeans before tugging them down. They began pulling Jacks boxers with them and Mark stopped.  
"Hold your boxers." He instructed.  
"Why? Don't you want a look?" Jack asked, giving Mark a shit-eating grin. Mark simply shook his head which made the drunk man sigh and hold his boxers up. Mark pulled the jeans fully off and laid them over the suitcase. When he turned back to the bed Jack was buried under the covers and fast asleep. Mark sighed and went over to him.  
"You are gonna hate yourself in the morning." He murmered. Mark leant foreward and pulled the covers up a bit more securely around the smaller man before standing back up.  
"Fuck it all." He muttered before leaning again and pressing a kiss to Jacks forehead. The green hair still smelt nice even through the waft of alcohol-breath Mark caught as Jack breathed. Jack made a slight noise and Mark moved away quickly but the Irishman just smiled in his sleep and curled up more.  
"I hate you." Mark decided. "Dork." He smiled and left the room to go to bed. He purposfully did not think about how nice Jack smelt or the cute way he smiled after Mark kissed him. Nor did he think about how he had looked in just his boxers or how lonely he looked curled up alone in the large bed. Mark turned off the light and curled up in his own large, empty bed.


	6. Six

When Jack woke up the next morning the first thing he did was groan. Then he hauled himself out of bed and down the hall to the bathroom, only to throw up in the toilet. After that he felt much better. He stole some of the mouthwash that was on the shelf and rinsed his mouth out. Then he wandered back into the guest room and looked at the clock.  
"5:30am. Ew." He muttered before collapsing back in bed to steal a few more precious hours of sleep.

\---

Mark was woken by the sound of the toilet flushing. He lay in his cosy bed and listened until the door of the guest bedroom closed once more. Then he glanced at the clock. Too early. He figured it was probably best to make sure Jack was ok before going back to sleep. Chica accompanied him on his walk down the hall. The green-haired man was passed out on top of the covers, snoring softly. Mark chuckled and held up his phone (he'd been using it as a torch) to take a picture of the scene. Then he quickly went and got a glass of water and some painkillers and put them on the bedside table. He tugged the covers back over Jack before trudging back to bed. Chica didn't follow him into his room so he shrugged and left the door ajar for her.

\---

When Jack woke up some time later, it was to a warm, heavy weight across his legs. After about five minutes of persuading his eyes to open, Jack was able to see that it was Chica, who must have come in after he fell back asleep. Jack considered moving her but she was keeping his feet warm and she was rather cute so he decided against it. Instead, he looked across to bedside table to check the time. 9:27. A much better time to get up than 5 fucking 30. Next to the clock was a glass of water and some painkilers.  
"Thank god." Jack muttered, pulling himself into a sitting position. He downed the pills and the water followed not long after. Then Jack used one hand to push back the strands of green that were falling into his eyes. His hair had gotten all mussed up in his sleep and was sticking up every which way. He pulled himself out of bed, gathered together some clothes and his toothbrush and stuff before making his way into the bathroom. He cleaned the lingering taste of alcohol from his mouth and stole some of the mouthwash sitting on the side. Then Jack dumped his clothes in a pile on the floor and stepped into the shower. After a bit of fiddling with the dials, he was able to get a stream of hot water going. The heat soothed his sore muscles and he took a moment to just stand there and relax. Then he actually got on with getting clean before getting out and getting dressed. Then he dumped his stuff on his suitcase and followed a now aawake Chica to the kitchen.

It was there that he found Mark, leant against the side and staring at the slowly brewing coffee maker like it held the answers to the universe.  
"Watched pots never boil, y'know." Jack greeted him and Mark sluggishly turned to look at him.  
"Hmm?" He asked, apparently not up to full words yet. Jack chuckled.  
"Aren't I s'posed to be the one who's hungover?" He asked.  
"Shuddup. Didn't get much sleep." Mark mumbled.  
"Wow full sentances. Congratulations Markimoo." Jack teased, lips forming a smirk. Mark didn't even respond, simply turned back to the coffee maker and poured the now boiled coffee into a mug. Which he promptly chugged. Then spat out due to it being freshly boiled and therefore very very hot.  
"Careful. That's hot." Jack quipped, smiling at the death glare that was sent his way. He walked over and poured himself a mug of hot coffee before refilling Mark's mug.  
"Maybe take it a bit slower this time, yeah?" He suggested. Mark grumbled but did as suggested, only drinking a sip at a time. By the time he'd finished, Ryan and Matt had joined them and they all moved to the front room, nursing their individual cups of caffeine.  
"I want bacon." Mark announced out of nowhere and Matt winced.  
"Jeesus keep it down. My head feels like it's splitting in half." He hissed. Mark just carried on unapologetically.  
"Bacon and sausage and other greasy diner breakfast foods." He stated, nodding as if that had been decided, whatever 'that' was. Then he turned to take in Jack's appearance and sighed.  
"You're already ready so give me five minutes and we can go." He told Jack, standing to leave.  
"Go where?" Jack asked, confused.  
"To the nearest diner." Mark said, then left the room - presumably to go get dressed.  
"Um. Okay?" Jack said, highly confused.  
"He does that sometimes. Just go along with it." Matt suggested. Jack nodded and decided to use his five minutes to set up his laptop and get his video for the day uploaded. Mark had good wifi so the upload time was fairly short and Jack plugged the laptop in so that it could keep going while they were out. Then he pulled on his shoes and grabbed his wallet and phone before going to meet Mark at the front door.

\---

Mark drove them to the nearest diner and pulled into the parking lot. Then they went in and got a booth by the window. Jack was looking round in half-wonder, half-amusement.  
"What?" Mark asked him.  
"It's just funny that you actually have proper diners and shit. I dunno." Mark grinned.  
"TVs gotta get it from somewhere." He shrugged. A waitress came over and asked if they wanted anything.  
"Coffee please." Mark smiled at her.  
"Same thanks. And some food menus please?" Jack asked. The girl did a double take.  
"Ohmygods. I love your accent!" She told him.  
"Uh, thanks?" Jack replied, face flushing a light pink. She giggled.  
"I'll get your orders right away for you." She told them before turning and walking away. Mark noticed she swayed her hips a little more than necessary as she did. He also noticed that Jack didnt even seem to be paying her any attention. Instead, he was looking out at the view that their window booth provided.  
"Nice huh?" Mark smiled at his friend.  
"Yeah. Very. So. What's the greasiest thing with bacon they do?"  
"What?" Mark asked, confused.  
"Well that's what you dragged us here for when we could have stayed inside, isn't it?" Jack laughed.  
"Ohhh yeah yes. Um. I have no idea lets find out." It was then that the waitress reappeared with coffee and menus. They both ordered what Jack kept calling a full English despite them being in America. The food was quite good and the two of them chatted about anything and everything as they ate.  
"So I thought we could film some collabs while you were here." Mark suggested. He felt suddenly nervous for some reason. Mark paused for a second then shook it off, it's not like Jack would reject him. HIS OFFER. No, his idea. Fuck. Why was he even bothered how he phrased it in his mind? Oh. Jack's talking. Best pay attention.  
"Tha' would be great! What did you have in mind?" The Irishman asked and Mark paused.  
"Well I know the Team Edge guys wanted to do something next week so we could do that and then I thought we could do a game of some sort?"  
"In other words you don't know." Jack laughed.  
"Basically, yeah." Mark joined him in laughter and Jack immediately did his impression of Mark's laugh. It just made Mark laugh more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE: 21/10/16  
> Soo I may have hit a bit of a writers block with this one (I usually do). So if you think this is ok enough to warrent more I need help. Please throw random ideas at me do that I can use them to continue the story.  
> I have like 1 paragraph done of the next chapter and it feels like it isnt going anywhere so I need some inspiration.
> 
> Thanks guys,  
> Love you all  
> Em x


	7. Seven

After breakfast they headed back to the house. Then they played video games for a while.  
"Yeah! Eat dust Princess Peach!" Jack yelled as he overtook Ryan and got a boost from the arrow pad things on the track. Mark laughed loudly as he hit everyone with a ghost and managed to get to second place, behind Jack. Matt, in 5th place, managed to knock a computer player out of the way and get into 4th. The race finished a few seconds later with Mark and Jack neck and neck. They both held their breaths as the winners screen came up and Jack released his in a whoop, punching the air in victory.  
"Who's the best? I'm the best!" He yelled, laughing as Matt pushed him over so he ended up sprawled across Mark and Ryans laps.  
"I'd still kick your ass at CoD!" Mark stated, play-shoving Jack off of him and onto the floor.  
"Alright. Prove it." Jack grinned mischeviously up at his friend, a challenge in his eyes.  
"Oh you're on!" Mark immediately got up to change the game and Matt and Ryan groaned.  
"I'm going to get snacks." Matt announced.  
"I'm going to get the recording stuff. If you're going to have a throw-down you might as well make a collab out of it." Ryan shrugged.  
"That's a great idea! I'll help!" Jack grinned, scrambling up from the floor to go help the older man. Mark watched him go fondly. Then pulled himself away from staring at his arse - 'no, seriously, what the hell am I doing' - and got back to work.

Between the four of them, they got all the stuff set up and sat on the sofa in front of the cameras to play. Mark opened his mouth to do his intro then had a different idea.  
"Top of the mornin' to ya laddies!" He did his best impression of Jack who promptly smacked the back of his head.  
"Ow! Okay fine. Hello everyone, my name is Markiplier and I'm here with Jack, Matt and Ryan to beat Jack in Call of Duty!" And the video began. They weren't too serious about it, mucking around more than playing the game, and it wasn't long before they forgot the cameras were even there, beginning to just enjoy each others company and the fun competition they had going. As they played, Mark found himself getting more and more distracted by watching Jack. Which wasn't good as it meant that he started losing. Badly.  
"Off your game today, Mark?" Ryan laughed, beating Mark for the fourth time in a row.  
"Never!" Mark chuckled, leaning forward so he could concentrate more. This new technique, which blocked Jack from his vision, worked well and it wasn't long before the red head was winning. After a few more wins on Mark's part, the foir decided to call it a day and they all helped pack up the recording stuff. Mark began loading the footage onto the computer for editing later. By the time he got back to the front room, Jack had cleared up the majority of the mess and had disapeared. Mark could hear Matt and Ryan moving some of the equipment back into the recording room but couldn't hear his Irish friend. Then he noticed the cool breeze drifting through the house. Following the source of it, Mark discovered Jack playing with Chica in the back garden.

Mark leant against the door frame for a little while, watching his friend play with his dog. He couldn't help but smile at the sight. And when Chica knocked Jack over and started licking his face, he couldn't help but laugh. Jack tilted his head back to smile up at Mark and Mark felt butterflies take flight in hid stomach at that smile. He tried not to think too much on it, especially when Jack gestured him over. Mark sat by the Irishman's head and started petting Chica. The fluffball started excitedly alternating between licking Jacks face and trying to sit on Mark to get more fuss. Eventually she settled with her back half on Marks lap and her front on Jacks chest, nuzzling his chin. Jack smiled contentedly and gazed up at the sky, seemingly not noticing that Mark chose to gaze at him instead. They sat there for a while, both of them gently petting Chica and enjoying the peace.

\---

Jack hoped to god Mark wasn't a mind reader. His thoughts were currently a confusing run of:  
'He smells like woods and the sea which shouldn't work but it does';  
'The light glinting off of him from this angle makes him look like he is glowing';  
'He looks like an angel. Oh shit is he an angel? That means I'm not supposed to find him pretty, right?';  
And 'Holy shit is this dog heavy! But she is really cute the way she's nuzzling my neck like that. I wish Mark was the one nuzzling my neck. Wait, what?!?'  
Jack tried not to act too startled, especially without an explanation, and sat up, nudging Chica off his chest. The sun was now almost fully set and it was starting to get cold. He shivered as he stood and stretched. Still on the floor, Mark stirred and looked up at him with a gentle smile. Jack thought suddenly that he would kill for that smile.  
"Hungry?" The red head asked quietly, careful not to break the calm of the evening. Jack nodded silently, helping Mark stand and following him back inside. On the kitchen side they found a large pizza box with a sticky note on top. It read:  
'Mark and Jack,  
We had pizza so we thought we'd get you one. We would have brought it out to you but you both looked all peaceful. There are fries in the oven on a low heat.  
Do NOT forget to turn the oven off Mark.  
We have an early meet&greet so we went to bed early. Don't make too much noise ;p  
Matt and Ryan'  
Jack chuckled at the note and opened the box to be greeted with a large pepperoni pizza. Mark shook his head and went to turn the oven off and colect the chips. He dumped them all into a bowl, put salt and vinegar on top and grabbed the ketchup bottle. Jack picked up the pizza box and followed Mark, confused as to what he was doing.

The Irishman was led to the sofa where the bowl of chips were deposited.  
"Movie?" Mark asked simply, pointing to the collection that was half neat, half stacked in a messy pile.  
"Sure." Jack wandered over and had a look through the choices. There was a wide variety and he spent several minutes flicking through and debating what to choose. Then a chip hit the back of his head and Mark called out:  
"Just pick something already."  
Jack chuckled and chose a horror film that he hadn't seen yet, moving over and loading it so Mark wouldn't know his choice until it was too late.  
"I saw that! That means I'm not going to like it!" Mark exclaimed, poking Jack in the side as he rejoined him on the sofa.  
"No, you will. It's just a surprise is all." Jack replied, settling in and stealing the pizza. Mark chuckled and just shifted closer to Jack so he could take a slice, settling the chip bowl (which at some point had been covered in ketchup) snugly into the gap between their legs. Due to the way they were sitting, this meant that their shoulders were merly an inch apart and their arms brushed each time one of them reached for a chip. The opening credits for the film came up and Jack saw Mark roll his eyes. That earnt him an elbow.  
"I havent seen it yet." Jack grumbled. Mark shrugged, smiling. Neither of them commented on how the motion shifted him so his shoulder was leaning against Jacks.  
"Dont get scared." The red head teased, poking Jacks face with a chip. Jack smirked and quickly grabbed the chip in his mouth, making Mark pull back in surprise.  
"Same to you." Jack replied. The film started and the pair settled back into their seats, shoulders pressed together and the bowl the only thing keeping them from just leaning fully against the other. As the film continued, got scarier, and the chips and pizza dissapeared, however, the bowl was moved and they gave in to the comfort of another human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys.  
> So this is a bit of a filler chapter and I apologise for that. I realise that this story is 100% fluff and not much story but I'm hoping to change that in the next chapter.
> 
> Either way, thank you so much for reading and for the support.
> 
> Em x


	8. Eight

Jack was awoken at around 2am by a thunderstorm. He lay there for a short while, simply listening to the rain as it lashed against the window and counting the gaps between the thunder and lightning to see how close the storm was. By 3am the gaps had gone from 10 seconds to 4 and Jack was still lying awake. He was lost in thought, mind wandering over the events of the previous day. For some reason, his brain kept getting stuck on how Mark had looked in the light of the setting sun when they sat with Chica and, later, the comforting warmth of his weight as the leant against each other as they watched the film. Jack's musings were interrupted by a tentative knock at his bedroom door. He waited a second, making sure it wasn't a trick of the night, and - yes! There it was again! Jack slowly got up, pulling his blanket around his shoulders to ward off the cold, and made his was over to the door. He said nothing, only reached out with a slightly shaking hand. Okay so maybe the film had scared him more than he thought. Jack took a second to psych himself up then took ahold of the doorknob. He opened the door.

\---

Mark couldn't sleep. He had been rather shaken up by the film he and Jack watched - more than he wanted to admit. It didn't help that he heard the beginnings of a storm at around midnight. He burrowed under his blankets and tried to block out the sounds. This became increasingly difficult as the storm grew closer and louder. Mark reached for his phone and shoved his headphones in, tutning the music up loud. Even this did nothing. The storm grew louder and was easily heard over his music. Eventually Mark gave up. He stood, shaking, and wrapped himself in several blankets. Clutching his phone like a weapon, Mark quietly crept down the hall. He paused in front of Ryan and Matt's room. Remembered the note. Moved on. He couldn't disturb them. They'd need their energy the next day (later that day? He didn't know anymore). Mark shuffled to a stop outside Jack's door. His toes curled in displeasure as a loud clap of thunder shook the house. Shivering, Mark raised a hand from within the safety of his blankets and knocked on the door. He waited. No answer. Of course not. Jack was probably asleep and didn't want to be disturbed by Mark at whatever-o'clock in the morning because Mark wasn't brave enough to wait out a thunderstorm. He started to turn away when another clap of thunder went off. Mark squeaked and gave in. He knocked on the door again, this time a little harder. It wasnt long before there was the sounds of shuffling and the door slowly creaked open.

On the other side of the door was Jack. His green hair was a mess on top of his head; one eye was only half open, stuck closed with sleep; he was wearing a pair of jogging bottems and a loose t-shirt that had a couple of stains on it. His face held a mixture of expressions - the most prominent being tiredness but grumpyness and confusion were in the mix as well. In short, he was a mess. And Mark thought he'd never looked more beautiful. This thought was further confirmed when Jack took one look at Mark's face and stepped aside to let him into the room. Neither man said anything, Jack simply shut the door and then led Mark to the bed. The red head jumped as another clap of thunder echoed and Jack lifted the covers. Mark was greatful that Jack wasnt speaking. He felt bad enough for waking him and worse for making him share his room for the night. He settled under the covers and, silently, Jack pulled him in and wrapped his arms around him. Mark felt the warmth and safety wash over him.

\---

Jack was once again woken (this time at a reasonable hour) but instead of rain pulling him to consciousness, it was the steady beeping of his alarm. He groaned and stretched out an alarm to turn off the noise. It was at this point that Jack discovered the human octopus that was wrapped around him. Mark had one leg tangled between Jacks and his arms wrapped around the smaller mans waist. His body was half on top of Jacks and his face was buried into his neck. Jack managed to reach his alarm to hit snooze without disturbing the still sleeping man. Then he shifted slightly upwards and repositioned them so Mark wouldnt wake up with dead arms. This was for naught, however, as the red head simply wrapped his arms back around Jack and continued to sleep peacefully. Jack chuckled and grabbed his phone, settling in to check his social media for a while. The picture Jack had posted on his instagram of the game scores from the day before (when Jack had won and Mark had lost badly) had gotten a lot of likes and comments and he scrolled through some. Then he looked at his feed. Mark had at some point posted a picture of Jack in the garden with Chica licking his face. It was captioned with 'well at least the dog likes him'. Jack chuckled and liked it before scrolling through some of the comments. Most of them were really nice and, of course, there were some septiplier-related ones. After a slight hesitation, Jack saved it to his phone. It was a nice picture after all.

Jack felt a shifting against his chest and looked down to see a sleepy Mark raise his chin to look at the man he was cuddled up against. Jack half expected him to be embarrased or upset at the position they were in but instead he just smiled gently up at him, resting his chin against Jack's chest instead of his cheek. Jack smiled back.  
"Hey." Mark yawned. "What time is it?"  
"8:27." Jack answered, checking his phone.  
"Best get up then. We have the Markiplier and friends channel in a few." Jack nodded and waited for Mark to move but the man just snuggled more into his chest.  
"C'mon doofus. Get off'a me." He laughed and sat up, causing Mark to fall off him. Mark whined but Jack ignored him and crossed the room to his suitcase. He pulled out some clothes for the day and headed out of the room.  
"I'm gonna get a shower." He declared, leaving to do just that. The rest of the house was quiet so he figured that Ryan and Matt had left already. Jack had a quick shower and did his teeth before changing into the fresh clothes. He stole some of Marks aftershave and re-gathered his stuff before going back to his room. Mark was exactly where he left him, still sprawled out on the bed.  
"Get up." Jack instructed, poking Mark in the side. The other man simply wiggled away and stayed o the bed.  
"I'll make breakfast if you get up right now." Jack offered. It was only with a few complaints that Mark prized himself upright, the offer of breakfast too good to refuse. Jack grinned and turned to go again.  
"I'll see you in the kitchen in ten minutes." With that, Jack went to prepare the food, leaving Mark behind to prepare himself. Just over ten minutes later, Mark wandered into the kitchen to find a plate waiting for him with an extravagent breakfast of...

 

Toast.


	9. Nine

"Toast!" Mark couldnt believe it. Jacks cooking was good - especially his brealfast foods - and yet all he had done was-  
"Toast." Jack confirmed. Then, he burst out laughing.  
"Your face! Oh my gods!" He laughed. Mark took the dumbstruck expression and replaced it with amusement mixed with a little annoyance.  
"Toast isn't worth getting out of bed for." He said firmly.  
"I know." Jack chuckled. "That's why I made bacon and eggs too." He set a second plate with said items down next to the first and brought his own plates to the table. Mark grinned soppily at him.  
"Bacon is the answer to the worlds problems." He declared. Jack thought that that was more Mark's smile but instead of saying this he just nodded in agreement. They ate their breakfast and headed to the con.

They met with Wade and Bob in the backstage area and it was then when Jack started getting nervous. Mark, of course, noticed straight away.  
"You okay?" He asked quietly.  
"Fine. Bit nervous. No idea why." Jack replied. Mark laughed.  
"You'll be fine! You have Bob and Wade and me and if you really dont want to go out there you dont have to." His voice dropped lower at that last bit. Jack smiled appreciatingly.  
"Thanks. I'll be fine once I'm out there."  
"Good because its time." Mark grinned blindingly at Jack and switched his mic on. He then stepped foreward so he was almost on the stage. He began his announcer voice, cupping his hands over the mic and his mouth to make his voice even deeper than usual. Before, this made Jack laugh. Now, it made him shiver. It was with only slight shock that Jack realised this was because Mark's deep voice was fucking hot. Like. Seriously. As Mark, then Bob, then Wade, went out on stage, he shoved this thought out of his mind. Then it was his turn. Jack took a deep breath and sprinted onto the stage, knocking Wade into one of the sofas and nearly bowling the other two over. It earnt a lot of laughter from the audience.  
"How can someone so small be so strong?" Wade groaned. Jack smiled an apology at him.  
"I'm the boss thats why!" Jack announced and the audience cheered.  
"Alright boss! This is my panel so shush." Mark told him. Jack poked his tongue out at the other man. Bob laughed and joined Wade on the sofa. Jack and Mark took the one adjacent to them.

They mucked around for a little bit, playing some game that Mark had brought with him. Then they moved onto the Q&A. They were doing it differently this time. Mark had stolen an idea from Dan and Phil and got people to put questions in a hat as they came in. They also had some twitter questions loaded up and Mark was flouncing around trying to majic the technology to work. The voice in their ears told them to stall for thirty more seconds as it was loading. Jack counted down in his head and when they got to ten seconds he counted out loud, confusing everyone but prompting them to join in. True to their awesomeness, the tech guys dropped the lights at 'one' - plunging them all into darkness. Then after a pause the lights came back on, along with the first question. Everyone cheered loudly and the four on stage yelled with them, caught in the excitement. Then they started answering the questions. After the twitter ones were done they started pulling questions out of the hat. There were the normal ones about what it meant to them, why they started, etc., which they each answered as honestly as possible. There was one about septiplier and Jack and Mark immediately yelled 'septiplier away!' before dissolving into giggles. Then, before they knew it, the panel was over and they had to go. They didn't have meet and greets that day but Felix had invited them to his hotel room to film a collab and basically just hang out. Mark drove and it took only 30ish minutes to reach the place.

Felix met them in the lobby and practically dragged the pair of them to the lifts before shoving them inside. They spent the lft ride joking around and talking about the panels. Then they reached Felix's room.  
"Marzia not joining us?" Mark asked, noticing that said woman wasnt in the suite.  
"Nah she has a meet this afternoon. She suggested this actually. Called it 'guy time'. Ken should be along soon." Felix filled them in. They both chuckled at the 'guy time' comment.  
"So. What we gonna do?" Jack asked, flopping on the sofa in the middle of the room. The others followed and Mark shrugged. There was a sudden knock on the door.  
"I'll explain in a sec." Felix said, jumping up to let Ken in. While he was gone, Jack noticed that thrre was film stuff set up.  
"Guess we're filming first." He pointed out.  
"Yup! We're gonna play truth or dare. I've already collected them from the internet so no getting out of it now." Felix smirked at them. Mark dramatically groaned before getting up to say hi to Ken. Jack followed and they man-hugged. Jack couldn't help but think that Marks hugs were better. They all caught up a bit then settled down to play the game. Felix tried to do his intro but Mark interrupted him, shouting (in a terrible accent)  
"Top o' the mornin'to ya!" Jack laughed and shoved at him.  
"Stop butchering my accent!" He shouted back. Ken then did his (marginally better) impression and the three of them dissolved into giggles. Felix hushed them before they could get too rowdy then finished his intro and said what they were doing. Then he gave an evil grin.  
"I dont like that smile. Thats bad. Jack whined, pointing at his friend.  
"What have you done?" Ken asked, suspicious. Felix held up something from behind his back.  
"I have a lie detector!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you say anything... I dont mean to leave so many mini-cliffhangers. Its how it works out with the amount of words Im trying to get for each chapter.
> 
> Either way..
> 
> Feel free to comment at me with truth or dare ideas to help me along with writing the next bit! If I dont use them here I'll use them in a diffrrent fic I have on Wattpad so anything is good :)
> 
> As always, hope you enjoyed, thank you for being awesome, leave kudos and comments if you'd like etc. Etc.
> 
> Em x


	10. Ten

The device was small, obviously meant to be held in one hand. The places where your fingers go where metal and there was a switch and two lights on the blank side. Felix held it properly and then used the switch to turn it on. The lights both lit up for a second before going dark. One was green, the other red.  
"That looks like it shocks you." Ken stated.  
"Only if you lie." Felix shrugged. The green light lit up.  
"Okay. So who's first?" Felix asked.  
"Definately you." Mark decided, "I want an example of how bad the shock is." The other two nodded in agreement.  
"Alright. So I'm gonna go for truth. Can I have a question from the truth hat please?" He asked Jack. Said Irishman picked up a hat filled with folded up bits of paper.  
"Truth: have you ever thought about kissing a boy?" He read.  
"Straight in there. Yeah." The light went green. They all stared a him.  
"I used to kiss my grandad on the cheek to say bye." Felix shrugged.  
"Dont think thats what it meant." Ken chuckled.  
"Light went green! It counts!"  
"Ugh fine. This time we'll give it to you." Ken decided. He held his hand out for the device.  
"Dare." Ken said decisively.  
"Ohhh brave. Mark! The dare bucket please!" Felix demanded. Mark picked up a seaside bucket with a seahorse on the side.  
"Really?" Felix shrugged. "Okay. Dare: Lick the floor." He read.  
"Ew." Ken stated, staring at the floor aprehensively. Then he leant down and quickly licked the floor. The others immediately yelled 'ohhh!' And 'ewww!'

This went on for a little while, each of them taking it in turns to do truth or dares. Mark had to describe his first kiss: "it was really sweet, yeah my mum kissed my forehead when I was born". That one earnt him a shove from Jack but he said that if Felix got away with his one, Mark could get away with that. Ken decided he could but from then on no one could and they all agreed. Once again, the game continued. A couple of times the questions were too personal and they got a shock but it didn't matter that they lied because it was funny. Then, Mark got a dare.  
"Play chicken with the person to your left." Felix read out then whispered "Septiplier!" Mark looked to his left and there was Jack. They both smirked and pretended to lean in to kiss. Then, at the same time, they broke it and went to pretend kiss the others' cheek. Only they messed up and went for the same side. This resulted in them accidentally hitting noses and, for a few brief milliseconds, pressing their lips together. Immedietly, both pulled apart. They each held their noses and made pained noises. Felix and Ken didnt seem to see what happened. Mark turned to Jack and they exchanged a look. One second and they had an entire conversation. The winning solution was 'pretend it never happened.'  
"You hit my nose" Jack exclaimed.  
"You hit my bose!" Mark exclaimed back. They both dissolved into laughter.  
"And on that note, I think we'll leave this here!" Felix began his outro, the other three interrupting him as much as possible.  
"I hate you guys." Felix pouted at them.  
"No you dont." Jack stated.  
"Ugh. No I dont." Felix agreed.  
The four of them packed up the stuff and moved on to just hanging out.

It started to get dark and Marzia returned.  
"Come on you lot. We're going for food."  
"Omg yes food!" Mark cheered. Jack rolled his eyes but they all good-naturedly followed the bouncing half-Korean out into the hallway. Marzia led them to the lift and they went down to the second floor. Turned out this floor was half facilities like a gym and pool and stuff and half a massive restaurant. It was a buffet layout with the food set up in a circle in the middle and tables arranged around the rest of the room. Just before they went in, Ken broke away.  
"Sorry guys but I have to get back. Raincheck okay?" They all agreed and said goodbye. Then Mark, Jack, Felix and Marzia were led inside and seated.  
"Would you like any drinks?" The waiter asked politely.  
"Just coke please." Felix answered.  
"Same. Could I have no ice please?" Marzia requested. The waiter nodded, scribbling it down. Mark ordered a lemonade and the waiter flushed slightly as Mark offered him one of his super-nice-warm smiles. Jack felt an odd burning sensation in the pit of his belly at the sight. Then the waiter turned to him, smiling brightly and Jack shook it off.  
"And you Sir?"  
"A Fosters please." Jack requested.  
"Okay Sirs and Madam, I'll get those right away and come back in a bit to get your food orders." He smiled at them all and disappeared between the crowded tables.  
"Uh Jack?" Mark started.  
"Yea?"  
"Dont you have a panel like first thing tomorrow morning?"  
"Yeah thats why I'm only having one." Jack smirked, poking his tongue out at Mark. Felix and Marzia laughed at the pair and they all started talking about anything and everything. The conversation lulled as the waiter came back, bringing everyone's drinks and taking their food orders. Jack managed to stay calm when he gave Mark a flirty grin. He felt better when Mark didn't return it and just thanked him before turning back to Jack and the debate about them doing another drunk prophunt with Bob and Wade. Jack tried not to think too much on why he was getting jealous about this waiter flirting with Mark. He never normally got that jealous. Perhaps he was just tired?

These thoughts all left Jack's brain when the food arrived. It looked delicious and smelt better.  
"Before we begin, a toast." Felix announced.  
"But Fe... foooood." Jack whined. They chuckled at him and Mark kicked at his legs under the table. Jack play-glared at him.  
"Anyway," Felix continued "to good food and better friends." He announced.  
"Hear hear!" Marzia cheered and Mark and Jack copied her. They all clinked their glassed then drank.  
"Lets dig in!" Felix stated.  
"Best idea you've had all day!" Jack grinned and they all did as said and dug in.  
The food tasted as good as it looked and the easy conversation flowed throughout the meal. It was getting late when they decided to go and consequently got into a debate over who was paying. Felix was paying for his and Marzia's food, Marzia their drinks. Mark wanted to pay for his stuff but Jack was insistent that he payed.  
"It's the least I can do, ya are letting me stay at yours after all." He insisted.  
"Why are you staying at Marks?" Marzia asked, confused. Jack quickly explained how his hotel had messed up and how he, without any other options, went to Mark's for the night. He told them Mark and the others were letting him crash on the sofa for the time he was in America. The story resulted in them agreeing that Jack should be allowed to pay if he wants, as one good deed deserves another. Huffing, Mark agreed.  
"I'm paying for our drinks though."  
"Fine."

With that issue sorted, they called over the waiter. He split their payments as requested and they all handed over the correct amount of cash, each including a little change as a tip.  
"Thank you all and have a lovely evening." He recited, then turned to Mark.  
"Uh, before you go could I, um, possibly ask, uh, for your- your number?" He stuttered, flushing a deep red. Mark flushed as well and looked immediately flustered.  
"Um no sorry." He replied awkwardly.  
"Oh are you not-? Sorry I shouldn't have assumed." The waiter turned even more red, going to turn away.  
"Uh no I.." Mark flailed for a second, looking genuenly sorry for the waiter, "I just have-have a boyfriend." He rushed.  
"Really?" The waiter seemed confused.  
"Uh-yeah Jack here. Who's being unhelpful laughing at me." Mark gestured across the table at Jack who had turned bright red when he heard his name. He smiled sheepishly at the waiter.  
"Yeah sorry I'm not laughing at you, just at Marks awkwardness." He smiled charmingly at the waitor who gave a shy smile back.  
"Okay sorry I'm just gonna.. go." He gave an awkward wave and vanished, leaving the table occupants to get themselves together. Felix and Marzia were in histerics. They all quickly gathered their stuff and headed out to the lift.  
"Lets never mention this again." Mark whined.  
"Oh no this is going in my best mans speech at your wedding. A male waiter flirted with Mark and he didn't know how to respond without hurting the poor mans feelings so he pretended I was his boyfriend!" Jack dramatically acted how said speech would go.  
"Shut up you asshole." Mark muttered shoving at him.  
"Thats not a very nice way to treat your boyfriend is it?" Marzia laughed. Jack thought he kinda liked being called that. Being called Mark's boyfriend. Jack mulled this thought over as they said goodbye and headed out to the car. Just before they pulled away Mark's eyes widened and he turned to Jack.  
"The waiters over there. He looks suspicious." He muttered. Jack's eyes flicked in the direction Mark was indicating, subtly looking at the waiter. He was staring at them, looking curious and slightly suspicious.  
"Well what are you gonna do?" Jack asked. "It's not like ya can prove you're not single-" Jack was cut off as Mark leant forewards and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Jack flushed red as Mark calmly put the car in drive and pulled out, heading home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi sorry for taking so long to update.  
> School, work, stress and writers block got in the way.
> 
> It's taken me a while to get this written but its a long chapter so that makes up for it? 
> 
> Anyways hope you all enjoyed it! If I dont update before then, Merry Christmas! Or whatever holiday/thing you may or may not celebrate
> 
> Em x


	11. Eleven

The next morning started way too early for Jack's liking. He had a panel first thing - the last one of the con - and then planned on spending the day wandering around the huge hall and interacting with fans. Mark was apparently not getting up early since when Jack stumbled into the kitchen at arse-O'clock in the morning, the red head was not there. Matt, however, was.  
"Hey Matt. Why're you up so early.  
"Going to watch your panel." Matt mumbled, not looking up from his coffee cup.  
"And you had to get up at 6:30am to do so?"  
"No point taking seperate cars. Mark's driving all of us." Matt explained, smiling as Ryan stumbled in and made grabby hands for the cup of caffeine.  
"Tha's nice of him." Jack mumbled.  
"I know. I'm a saint." Mark responded, choosing that moment to walk in. He stalked over to the coffee and poured himself a cup. Jack looked around at them all. Despite his own tiredness, he seemed the most awake of all of them. He supposed it was the excitement of the approaching panel that was setting him off.  
"Why'd you have to choose such an early slot?" Ryan asked, finally capable of speech.  
"I didn't. The organising people offered me a slot last minute. They only had this one left - one hour at 9am." He shrugged.  
"Well I for one am proud you're doing your own panel. No more fawning off my glory!" Mark laughed.  
"What glory?" Jack snarked back.  
"The glory of getting the first shower!" Mark cheered, running off down the hallway."  
"Fuck you!" Matt shouted after him, not bothering to give chase. Jack and Ryan just chuckled, sipping their drinks. 

Once done, Jack wandered back to his room to get ready. He grabbed his clothes and decided to see if Mark was done in the shower yet. Just as he was about to knock on the door it opened. Jack and Mark crashed straight into each other. Mark was wearing only a towel. Which had slipped when Jack collided into him.  
"Shit. Sorry." Jack muttered, looking only at Mark's face. Mostly. Hey! He's only human! Mark grinned.  
"Its cool." He quickly gathered up the towel. Then he leant in to whisper in Jacks ear.  
"You can look all you want." Jack choked on his own spit and started spluttering, bright red in the face. He slipped past a laughing Mark and locked himself in thr bathroom. And, hey, if he spent a bit too long in the shower who's to know? Like he said, he's only human.

\---

Once everyone was ready they piled into Marks car, Jack yelling shotgun, and he drove them all to the con. A security guard directed them to the proper place to park and then inside and to the backstage of the hall where Jack's panel was going to be. Ryan and Matt wished him good luck and went to their seats but Mark stayed behind.  
"Ten minutes." A stage hand told them.  
"Oh god. I cant do this. Mark what if they hate me?" Jack rushed out, starting to panic.  
"Dude, relax. They paid to be here. They love you. You'll be fine." He stated calmly.  
"You're right. Sorry." Jack mumbled.  
"No worries. You have like four minutes so I'm gonna go. Good luck. Go be awesome." He grinned. Before he could leave, Mark was enveloped in a surprise hug.  
"Thanks Maerk." Jack mumbled into his chest.  
"You're welcome Jackaboy." Mark hugged him back. "Now I really gotta go." He pulled back and waved bye, walking away to find his seat.

\---

After the panel, Mark, Matt and Ryan hurried backstage to greet Jack.  
"That was aweome!" Jack yelled, running and practically throwing himself at Mark for a hug. To save falling from the smaller mans momentum, Mark picked him up and swung him around. He set him down, both laughing, and Jack hugged both the other boys as well.  
"Thanks for coming to watch. It helped loads knowing there were friendly faces in the audience." He told them all sincerely.  
"You're welcome dude." Ryan grinned. The others said similar things and together they slipped through a back door to join the crowds moving through the main hall. Almost immediately, a fan spotted them and they took a quick selfie with them. They made their way through the packed hall, interacting with anyone who recognised them and looking at the cool things on the stalls. After a few hours, they slipped through a side door and used the hallways to get back to the staff/guest car park instead of fighting through the crowds.

"I'm hungry." Jack stated once they were driving.  
"I'm Mark nice to meet you." Mark replied.  
"Maaeeerrrkkkk!" Jack whined.  
"Joking joking. How hungry is everyone - Mcdonalds or actual meal?" He asked. Everyone responded with 'actual meal'.  
"You can all wait till we get home then." Mark smiled.  
"But food!" Matt jokingly protested.  
"But patience! I'm gonna cook for us." Mark told them.  
"Oh Jack you're in for a treat! Mark's spagetti bolognaise is amazing!" Ryan said excitedly.  
"I never said I was cooking spag bol." Mark pouted.  
"It's the only thing you can cook really well and I know you want to impress our house guest." Ryan grinned.  
"I can cook other things!"  
"I said cook really well."  
"Nooo you didn't."  
"Yes I did."  
"Noooooooooooo you didn't."  
"Whatever you say Mark."  
"Yes! I win!" Mark exclaimed. Jack and Matt watched the 'arguament' with amusement. Then Jack frowned.  
"I'm still getting spag bol right?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!  
> Wanted to say thanks for all the kudos and comments! They really make my day :)
> 
> In the next chapter: cooking with septiplier


	12. Twelve

Matt and Ryan disappeared to watch a film in their room while Mark cooked dinner. Jack had freshened himself up after the long day and was sat on the floor just outside the kitchen area and playing with Chica. He was also watching Mark as he navigated around the kitchen. As Chica flopped over his legs and Jack pulled out his phone to check his social media, he was struck by how domestic this felt. He smiled and took a quick picture of Mark when the other wasn't looking. It was a terrible angle but you could just about see him cutting up tomatoes. He smiled and made sure it saved to his phone before going on instagram. He uploaded it with the caption 'finally get to try Mark's cooking' and a couple happy emojis. He tagged Mark in it just for good measure. Mark's phone pinged with a notification and he paused in putting the various pans on the hob to check it. Jack pretended not to notice as Mark shot him a look, instead using his phone to make sure his video uploaded properly earlier in the day. His phone buzzed a moment later, telling him Mark had replied. It read:  
'You better like it I dont cook for just anyone!' Jack chuckled.

A few minutes later and Mark had his back to Jack, stirring the spaghetti, the sauce and the mince as it cooked. Without really thinking about what he was doing, Jack quietly stood up and went up behind Mark, slipping his arms around the other mans waist in a hug. He wanted to rest his chin on Marks shoulder but was slightly too short so settled for leaning it between his shoulderblades instead. Mark chuckled slightly and turned the heat down before turning around in Jacks hold. He put his arms around Jack to return the hug and smiled down at him.  
"What did I do to deserve hugs?" He asked quietly. Jack shrugged.  
"I dunno." He said quietly.  
"That's okay." Mark replied, voice just as soft. The deep tone was oddly comforting and Jack sighed as he pressed his forehead into Marks neck. His head fit nicely judt below Marks chin and he felt warm in Marks hold. Protected. It was nice, he thought, to feel as though you were protected from the world, even if there waa no need for it.

After a short time just stood there holding each other, Mark pressed a gentle kiss to Jacks forehead and pulled away.  
"Food's done. Would you mind getting the otherd while I serve up?" He requested. Jack nodded and wandered down the hall. He heard the sounds of the TV in Ryan and Matts room playing skme film and knocked on the door. Ryans voice called a quiet come in. Jack pushed the door open to see Matt sleeping sprawled half across Ryans lap. He smiled at the sight.  
"Dinner's ready." He told Ryan, voice low.  
"Okay. Matt will probably have his later but I'll be right out." He replied and Jack took it as his que to leave. When he got back to the kitchen, Mark was just finishing setting the table. Jack sat at the spot Mark indicated and as he leant down to place the bowl if spaghetti in front of him, Jack leaned up and gently kissed his cheek. Mark blushed but smiled widely. He didn't comment however. Moments later, Ryan entered and joined them at the table. They all ate the meal happily, engaging in small talk. It was very peaceful and Jack felt himself relaxing more as the evening went on and the meal ended. Jack washed up, to his insistance and the others annoyance. Ryan took Matt's food with him back to their room and Mark and Jack were left alone once again.  
"You feel like watching a film?" Mark asked quietly. Jack nodded a yes and they went to look through the large collection of DVDs in the cupboard. Jack left the choice up to Mark, instead raiding the house for blankets and building a nest on the sofa. Mark smiled when he turned around from putting the film in to see Jack snuggled up in a pile of blankets, holding one side open for Mark to crawl in. Mark obliged and they settled in, practically cuddled together and enjoying the films.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> Things are finally picking up a bit! :)  
> As always thanks for reading and for the kudos and commemts it makes me so happy knowing people enjoy reading this  
> Continue being awesome  
> Em x


	13. Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end.  
> I apologise now for how short this chapter is :)  
> At some point I'll probably go through and edit but no promises!  
> Enjoy x

Mark awoke sometime the next morning on the sofa with something warm on his chest and another something on his feet. His sluggish mind vagualy remembered watching films the night before and some point between the second and third films dragging the foot rest closer so they could lounge more comfortably. Now, Chica was sprawled across his feet which were tangled with Jacks. That meant the warmth on his chest was Jack as well. Mark blinked and looked down to confirm that the irishman was, indeed, sprawled half on top of him. He was still sound asleep, his head rising and falling gently with Mark's breathing. Jack's arm was wrapped around Mark's waist and he was snoring very lightly. Mark was loath to move him. But, sadly, he really needed to pee. He gently shifted the smaller man so he was laying on the cushions instead of Mark and got up, heading to the bathroom. After relieving himself, Mark freshened up and went to change clothes. By the time he got back, Jack was awake, although not entirely coherent.  
"Hey sleeping beauty." Mark cooed, lauhhing lightly at the green hair that was sticking up all over the place.  
"Yah hear that, Chica? He called me beautiful." Jack grinned, petting the nall of fluff that was still sprawled half on top of him.   
"Actually I was talking to Chica." Mark responded, leaning over the back of the couch to fuss his fog as well.  
"Well I can't argue, Chica is very beautiful." Jack chuckled.  
"Mmm you are too I suppose." Mark said to Jack, blushing lightly.  
"Aw same to you!" Jack cooed, laughing when Mark went as red as his hair.

"Jack..?" Mark started quietly.  
"Yeah?" Jack prompted.  
"What are we? I mean, I know we're friends but lately I've been thinking of you as more than that and I don't know I think you might think of me the same so I was just wondering what you wanted our relationship to be?" Mark said in a rush, words tumbling together. Jack still got the message though.  
"Mark? Are you asking me out?"  
"I.. yes. Jack. Sean Mcloughlin. Will you be my boyfriend?" Mark asked decisively. Jack stared at him for a few seconds.  
"Of course you dont have to. In fact forget I said anything. Lets just go back to being friends and pretend this never happened and-" Jack interrupted Mark's ramblings by putting a hand over his mouth.  
"Mark, you dumbass, of course I'll go out with you." He grinned and leant foreward so he could press a kiss to Marks dumbstruck face. Said dumbass kissed him back then shoved him over and cuddled up to him on the pile of pillows and blankets still strewn about the sofa. Jack laughed into his hair and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend.

Sure, in a week or so he'd have to go home. But that was okay because he could come back. And right now, he was happy where he was, safe in Marks arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was it. The story is done.
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing this and I just wanted to say thank you so much to all of you for keeping me inspired and for all of the wonderful comments and kudos.
> 
> Stay awesome,  
> Em x


End file.
